Losers, or Winners?
by Awareness Bringer
Summary: Sanji wasn't the only "dud" in his family. His three brothers ran away with him. How will they grow? You decide. Challenge story.


**Here's my first official One Piece challenge story. Not an interpretation of a challenge, or a different Devil Fruit Luffy scenario, but a One Piece challenge story that I've been thinking of for some time. I know it might be a bit early, but looking over the works of BlueThief on FFN and Quoth of Corbeau on A03 has encouraged me to make three story ideas centered on Sanji and his four siblings. If there are those far behind reading this, please forgive the spoilers.**

 **I've got three AUs at least that are centered on Sanji and his siblings, but until I get a better idea of what abilities Ichiji and Yonji have, I'll keep the other two on hold at least until the current arc reaches its end. Now, allow me to go into detail on some challenge-upholding guidelines I'd like for those who would like to write about this to at least acknowledge, if not follow.**

 **No unnecessary bashing: seeing characters grow up and show hidden strengths is all good until it looks like the writer is purposefully making the character in question look like an unlikable nuisance at best and a complete villain at worst. Trust me, it's best to show both the positives and negatives of those in a story. And since this is an AU, I'm working forward to some people growing up differently, especially in a positive manner.**

 **No slash: I try not to judge people who have different "bonding" preferences compared to mine, but I really don't think that characters that weren't listed as canonically yaoi in nature should be depicted as such. Not that I like gender bending much either.**

 **Keep the content at a controlled level: meaning that it's probably best to be mindful of which direction the story/stories will go. I like straight lemons as much as the next fellow, but given how things all are iffy on certain websites like FFN, it would probably be wise to just walk first before jumping.**

 **Don't shy away from asking me for advice or beta reading: however, I won't dictate your execution as it should ultimately be your decision. I'm doing fine with it so far with digemsmack over his Fairy Tail story which I gave my patronage for, Ascension of the Second Apocalypse.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does.**

 **[LOW]**

 **Losers, or Winners?**

 **[LOW]**

On a tall rock outcropping the East Blue Sea, four ten-year-old boys and an older Pirate had been waiting for a passing ship to come rescue them from their predicament. It had been forty-seven days since the storm that destroyed the Orbit cruise ship and the Cooking George pirate vessel had happened, and the five male Humans had done what they could to survive since. At first, the pirate, Red-Foot Zeff, rationed whatever food that remained from the wreckages for the children, but the two oldest of the four brothers, Ichiji and Niji, feeling a debt to Zeff for rescuing the younger Sanji and Yonji from drowning, made a bargain with him for their survival. Using the bags that were meant to hold the boys' foodstuffs and Zeff's remaining treasures, the group of five were able to make a tight rope to gently lower one of the boys down to fish before pulling back up.

It wasn't an easy alliance of convenience at first, but they were able to thrive for over a month because of such an arrangement. However, their optimism for being rescued was at risk, and, as most of them had pointed out more than once during their time stranded, it was surprising that none of them were driven mad from the circumstances.

"If I see ships passing by when there actually isn't a single one, please don't kill and eat me." Ichiji grimly told his party while they took a break from fishing and eating.

"Are you being serious or sarcastic, because I can't tell the difference when it comes to you?" Asked a deadpanning Sanji.

"Does it matter?" Snapped Niji. "The point is we're still stuck on this stupid rock!"

"I'm just hopeful we won't be for another forty-seven days." Yonji admitted with a frown. "If nothing else, that may be the point we lose our taste for fish and go after Human fresh." He partially meant it as a joke, but given the situation, none of them laughed.

Niji sighed audibly. "What could be worse than being stranded on this awful thing in the middle of the ocean?"

Zeff chuckled darkly for the first time that day. "Being eaten by sadistic predators for one, I believe. I suppose it just depends on the setting and the person." He then sighed sadly. "Still, starvation has its troubles. Should I get off this damnable rock, I think I'll stick to a different dream of mine and build a sea-going restaurant for all those sailors who struggle for food."

Sanji looked surprised and almost saddened. "You sure you don't want to keep searching for the All Blue? I mean, you'll still alive and strong as ever, right?"

Zeff nodded to his point. "That be true, but with my right leg gone from the wreckage, I'm at best half-strong. And even if I seek a new crew, they could never replace my first one. It just wouldn't feel right, you know?"

"Well, a floating restaurant would be fancy and useful." Yonji commented with a half-smile. In spite of the immediate tension, it had become easier for the four boys to relate to the old man over time, rather the source be the fact Zeff saved Sanji and Yonji at the cost of his own limb, that the two-former shared the same dream, or some other thing no one could think of at the time.

Zeff showed a small smile of his own. "You know, you brats have shown a lot of guts and smarts since that damn storm. I'd invite you all to work for me, but I think in the end, you'd all be too weak for the work."

"We aren't weak!" Yelled Ichiji in affirmation, his usual stoicism replaced by a mixed emotion of passion and anger. "I'm going to be the best master of martial arts there was, is, and ever will be, you geezer! No matter what the fighting style is, no matter how stingy the teacher will be, I will learn them all, and be remembered for it! But until I'm ready, I'll be your bouncer, if nothing else!"

Zeff's smile grew. "And you're still going to find the All Blue, blondie?"

"I'll never stop reaching for it, old man." Replied Sanji in earnest. "I'll help you with your restaurant as best I can and then some, but when I'm ready, I'll go to the Grand Line and find the All Blue!"

"What about you, blue boy?"

"I want to bring about a new age of scientific progress!" Niji replied before elaborating. "I know it sounds weird, but I've read about and seen places here and elsewhere that are at a disadvantage compared to others. To me, it's like how the World Nobles push around and stop on those of lesser status than them, it's a shame that must be fixed. So, while I navigate your restaurant, I'll learn as much about science as I can and see how I can reinvent old ideas and bring to life new ones!"

"Green hair?"

"I'm going to be the ruler the Germa Kingdom deserves and redeem the Vinsmoke name, but luckily for your future business, I picked up a lot of accounting tips to make sure it will stay afloat!" Yonji said in excitement before he could even realize what he was saying.

"Excellent!" Zeff said in joy. "We'll be a great team together, you brats, but never forget your dreams!" He laughed for a good moment before his mind registered what Yonji said which made all things stop. "Wait, what was that last part?"

The four children began to drop sweat.

"Uh, wonderful weather we're having." Yonji said in an attempt to avoid the question.

"You brats are related to the royalty of Germa 66?" Zeff pushed for details which, after a moment, the brothers began to divulge how they were estranged princes experimented on before their birth and how harshly they were raised by their father when their science-based abilities never developed. If it wasn't for the kindness of their only sister, the four boys would never have escaped their horrible surroundings.

"I guess we can kiss those new jobs goodbye, huh?" Niji asked bitterly.

Zeff scoffed. "Oh, please. In my opinion, that stupid idea that a family should share the crimes of the patriarch is a load of crap. Besides, you brats suffered enough." Then he showed a returning smile. "And more importantly, I'd be an idiot to turn down promising workers such as you four."

The four brothers looked surprised before they returned the smile and Sanji noticed something out at sea.

"Hey, guys! It's a ship! We're going to be saved!"

 **[LOW]**

 **After wrapping up The Modifier and Thunderclap, I noticed that I had to work on something new to use my writing skills, so I decided to work on this idea. The concept is simple; instead of Sanji being the only "dud" in the Vinsmoke Family and then running away in the East Blue, his two older and one younger brothers, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji were "duds" as well and took up jobs and dreams that I figured would fit their less malicious personalities on the Orbit and Baratie. Once they join the Straw Hat Pirates, I was thinking Ichiji would be another fighter for the crew while Yonji would be a bit more of a reasonable treasurer than Nami and Niji would work closely with both her, Usopp, and Franky. If any takers have any more ideas on what they could do with the three additional crewmates, you're more than welcome to think on them and how to exercise them.**

 **If anyone is wondering why this was played the way it was, I allow me to clarify that when I'm working on challenges and one-shots, I prefer to show off a certain scene or two with divergences. I think it helps to keep it short, simple, and easily adaptable for challenger upholders. I went by anime logic in this regarding Zeff's lost leg and the amount of time, as I'm sure you all have noticed, because I wanted to introduce some struggle on their part and I'm not really a fan of cannibalism, but I'll might consider Zeff keeping his leg among other things for another Vinsmoke challenge I plan to show off in the future. I know Sanji shares the same hair color as Judge, but I don't think it's because he wasn't modified as it were, so I chose not to change the hair colors of his brothers for obvious reasons.**

 **As for pairings, since the Whole Cake Island Arc began, I've grown to rather like Sanji being with Pudding, both being chefs in an out of whack family and all that, so long as any relationship between them is played with good intentions yet realistically enough, considering the former's obvious flaws and the latter's lifelong difficulties. And, as weird as it sounds, I've seen some interesting points that, if Niji was a bit different, he could've worked well with Cosette the Head Chief of the Vinsmokes, even if he assaulted her in canon. As for Ichiji and Yonji, I'm afraid I'm a bit stuck on who they could be paired up with either in the Charlotte Family/Big Mom Pirates or elsewhere. Well, so long as it isn't slash, and guys like Luffy aren't left hanging, I guess I'm open to seeing who you all might think of.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know if and when I get a taker.** **I promise to work on Enterprising Rejects and Smoking Wine once I get a better idea on what Modified Human abilities Ichiji and Yonji have in canon.**


End file.
